books

Life is hard, y’all. Some days I have no desire to do anything productive because it feels like I’m always striving. Always trying and searching for more. When is it ever enough? When is my ship gonna come in?

It can feel like you are being overlooked, forgotten, when things aren’t happening as quickly as you want them to be. How do you get past this feeling? You take control of what you can and trust God to handle the rest. Find joy in the present. Don’t wait to live your life…

Do some good – volunteer for a soup kitchen, coach Girls on the Run in your area, help the elderly with their daily tasks, do something nice for a friend or family member, etc. Find something that you enjoy and help others with that gift you have.

Praise and worship – instead of constantly praying for what you want, try spending some time in gratitude for what you do have.

Read a book – I know. What could reading a book do?? Well, it could distract you OR if you read a personal development book, or memoir, it could give you hope and action steps that you can take to get the results that you want. Have you had your heart broken? Read “Rising Strong” by Brené Brown. It helped me get over mine, as well as seeing a well-timed Instagram post by Christine Caine quoting Psalm 34:18 –

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Get a hobby – What is something you like to do? Take photos? Get yourself a good camera and go exploring. Do you like crafting? Check out Pinterest for some inspo and head to Hobby Lobby or Michael’s for supplies and you’re set for the duration of that project.

TRAVEL – Get out of town. See some new sights. Take in a new city or a new landscape or both! There is nothing like experiencing a new culture, even if it’s just an hour away. Take a trip. Do something by yourself.

Most of all, I want you to know that you’re not alone. There are others out there going through exactly the same thing as you. And, God has not forgotten you. His timing is perfect.

Woah! It’s been a while, right? Well, I’m back and I have decided that I am writing a book, soooo I should be practicing my writing, right?

I have just started reading Without Rival by Lisa Bevere. I happened to pick this book up by “accident”. My friend and I were at Lifeway and I got this feeling. I told her, “There’s a book I’ve been wanting to read but I don’t know what it’s called, or even what the cover looks like.” Big help, right? ha! We did some browsing but none of them felt “right”. I picked up Present over Perfect, but I knew that wasn’t what I was looking for. We eventually left. I forgot about it.

Then, we went to Hobby Lobby (not looking for books, I swear.) As we were headed to the checkout line, I saw the books. I asked her if we could look really fast. I still had that “feeling.” Then, I saw this title and this cover and I knew it was what I was looking for. Now, subconsciously, I know that I have seen this book on Instagram or somewhere and I had stored it away for a time when I needed it. The time was now.

When you are in business for yourself, there is always going to be time to compare, to feel less than everyone else doing just what you are doing. I had just recently experienced this when an online friend chose another health and fitness coach over of me. It cut so deep. I wondered why and I pondered for a full day what made her “better than me” In other words, that whole “why am I never good enough?” voice came raring its ugly head. ugh. That is NEVER a good look…on anyone. I, thank goodness, have been doing so much personal development and self-care that I didn’t let this keep me down too long. I know that this happens, but that doesn’t mean that my tender heart has been hardened.

As I began reading Without Rival, I came across the line,

Marvelously loved one, there is absolutely nothing accidental about you.

Ahh! Can you just feel that exhale. No one else is you. No one else can ever compare to you because you are you. You are youer than you, as Dr. Seuss says. God has made us each unique. We have been set apart so that we have no “rival”. We shouldn’t be competing with anyone, whether it be for friends, boyfriends, jobs, contests, clients, etc. Our only competition should be ourselves, to be better than the person we were yesterday.

It’s not lost on me that the last time I sat down and wrote a blog, it was about comparison. Obviously, this is a struggle. One that I believe many women, and, likely, some men, deal with all throughout life. But, the truth is that it’s a no-win situation. We cannot be winners when we are looking at our competition rather than looking up to our Creator for what He wants from us. So today, join me in locking arms and taking in all that we are, as individuals, and what we can do as unique beings during our time on Earth.

Have you ever had a rival? How did it feel? How do you believe that you are unique and without rival?

Since it’s gotten colder, I have been reading a lot more and I wanted to share my favorites with you!

I have always loved to read. I read so often when I was a kid that my parents made it a rule that I could not bring books to the dinner table. I think I ruined my eyes by still trying to read my books by streetlights after dark on long car rides.

I’ve been reading a lot more since the holidays have begun and I’ve compiled a list of my top ten favorite books of all time.

10. Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover

This book has completely made me realize the life of “Financial Freedom” I could be living. I had no idea that I really had so much hidden money. I have already started paying off debt like crazy. I can’t wait to be free of student loans. That’s the one I’m “snowballing” right now.

9. My Life on the Run by Bart Yasso

Bart has written an amazing memoir of his life, which began with unhealthy addictions and an is now focused on his running and being CRO (chief running officer) of Runners’ World magazine. He has run, literally, all over the world and is a vivid storyteller. I highly recommend it, especially if you are a runner.

8. Captivating by John & Stasi Eldredge

Stasi and John Eldredge tell the story of how God made us, women, in His image. We have so many of His beautiful traits that we never think of when we think of Him as a man.

7. Follow Me by David Platt

This book taught me what it meant to be a “follower” of Christ, rather than just a believer.

6. Same Kind of Different as Me

True story, co-written by Ron Hall and Denver Moore, captures what it was like for the most unlikely friendship to have developed crossing over social and racial boundaries. In the most difficult of circumstances, they were brought together, somewhat unwillingly, by Ron’s angel of a wife.

5. The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

If you’re too lazy or don’t like to read, watch the movies. I feel like they really have captured books amazingly, so far. I like to read books because I feel like I get so much more background and history that they can give you in 2 1/2 hours.

4. Crazy Love

This is the first book I read when I truly came to know Christ and develop a relationship with our God. I never knew what that meant. I always thought that I could pray to God, but that he was just this unreachable omnipotent being in the sky. I did not relate to Him. I didn’t know that I could. I didn’t realize that this was the most meaningful relationship I would ever have in my life, here and now.

3. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

I read all of the Harry Potters but this one was my absolute favorite. *SPOILER ALERT* I remember boo-hooing when Sirius died. Harry had just gotten a family and then he just lost him. It was so unfair.

3. The Giver

The Giver was required reading in school one year. I didn’t mind, because, ya know, I was a reader. Other students may have felt differently. The deepness of this book is something that I, as a child and teen, could not understand but I still enjoyed it’s concept. As an adult reading this book, I see so much more of what Lois Lowry was telling us. It tells of a world that we don’t live in and we can’t possibly imagine.

2. Kisses From Katie

Katie’s courage and fierceness is unmatchable in this world. She has a heart for God and for these children. She, a well-to-do high school student, went to Uganda for a short mission trip and never really came back home to Brentwood, TN because she fell so. much. in. love. I laughed and cried all throughout this book. If you read no other book this year, make it this one.

1. The B-I-B-L-E, yes, that’s the book for me!

The Greatest Story Ever Told. Truth. The Word. No matter what you call it, you should read it. If you had asked me in my younger years, I never would have believed that I would pick this book up and read it…for pleasure and growth, but I do. Usually not as much as I would like, but I am working on that.

Now, do you feel like this?

What is your absolute favorite book that I should read?

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Hi, I'm Niki. I'm here to share my fitness, faith, and everything in-between. I have a passion for helping others reach their goals, whether it be fitness, faith, or financial. I'm 1st grade teacher by day, fitness coach by afternoon. If you can dream it, you can do it!